Woman Convicted Of Murder In Drugged Driving Case

PORT HURON (WWJ/AP) – A 30-year-old Port Huron-area woman has been convicted in the deaths of two young men while driving under the influence of drugs.

Lisa Bergman was found guilty earlier this week of two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of operating under the influence causing death, and two counts of operating with a suspended or revoked license causing death as a second-time habitual offender. She faces up to life in prison when sentenced on Feb. 28.

Bergman’s pickup truck collided with another truck occupied by 19-year-old Russell Ward and 20-year-old Koby Raymo on July 20 in Kimball Township. The men were pronounced dead at the scene Witnesses testified that Bergman’s vehicle crossed the center line, causing the collision.

St. Clair County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholas Singleton said in his testimony that Bergman “was one of the most impaired people I have ever seen operating a vehicle,” the Times Herald of Port Huron reported.

An analysis at the hospital on the day of the crash indicated that Bergman’s blood tested positive for alcohol. A Michigan State Police toxicology forensic scientist testified that Bergman’s blood also tested positive for Oxycontin and Soma, narcotic pain killers.

Prosecutors say it wasn’t the first time Bergman drove under the influence of drugs. Defense lawyer Robert Ladd argued she only should be judged on what happened that day.